Rail-joint bond.



H. ETHERIDGE,

RAIL IOINT BOND.

APPLICMION HLED MAR. 24. 19mA l Patented Jan. 4, 1916.

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,HARRY ETHERJQDGE, 0F ZELIENOPLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

RAIL-JOINT BOND.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that l, HARRY Eriisnmer., a citizen of the United States, residing at Zelienople, in the county of Butler and State of Pennsylvania,

Bonds; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact. description of the invention, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

My invention relates to electrical connections for the meeting ends of track rails in electrical railway systems, areemployed for conducting electrical current.

My invention has for its objects, to pro- Vide a simple and practical form of bond connection, adapted equally as well for the parted ends of rails at curves, and at turnouts, as for straight portions of the track; that may be applied to the rails without the necessity of drilling openings or otherwise. removing portions thereof to apply the bond thereto; that will engage by its terminals with the rails and be self supporting when applied thereto, preparatory to and during final uniting therewith, to assist the. workman; that will form a strong, durable and electrical joint; that will readily yield or respond to the expansion and contraction of the rails, and that will he so positioned with respect to the rails, when applied thereto, as to permit easy inspection and at the same time be out of the wa y of possible injury.

Broadly, the invention consists in a bond having each of its terminals, or ends, turned over, or otherwise formed, like that of'a hook, engaging over and beyond the edges of and upon the flanged base portions of the rails and united thereto by brazing or welding, the body portion thereof being disposed beneath the base portion of the rails, preferably directly at the parting point, and so bent or formed as to be suflicicntly iexible as the direction of and to the expansion and contraction of the rails.

lfVith the above objects in view, the invention consists in certain features of construction, in certain parts, arrangement and combination of parts, as will be hereinafter more specifically set forth and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Specification of Letters Patent.

have invented certain n ew and useful Improvementsy in Rail-Joint va side elevation of said bond.

where the rails erence is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specifica-- tion, wherein like detail parts are designated by like numerals for" convenience in referring to said parts, said drawings representing the following views:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a complete rail joint, having the preferred form of bond applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a plan thereof. Fig. 3 is an end elevation thereof. Fig. 4 is a planv of the bond, Fig. o is Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are plans of rail ends, having modified forms of bonds applied thereto.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, where a simple form of rail joint is shown, with the preferred form of to Figs. 4 and 5 where saidbond is separately shown, thc numerals 1 and l indicate the meeting end portions of two rails,

having thc usual parting or space therebe-4 'formed of a rod or strip, or other equivalent. but in this instance, comprises a member 5, preferably formed of a rod or bar of soft copper and of circular forni in crosssection, having its intermediate or body por` tion proper. bent or otherwise formed somefatented Jan. d, 1916.

Application filed March 24, 1914. Serial No. 826,877.

what like that of a horseshoe or the letter y U, the extreme ends or terminals thereof being each turned backwardly above the body portion to forni a curved hook said bond lieing of substantially uniform conductivity throughout its'entirety.v

The bond is applied to the flanged base portion of the meeting rails, preferably at a point about equi-distant from the ends `or parting thereof, by forcing or driving the hooked terminals thereof over and beyond thc edge of and upon the upper surface of the flanged base portion of the rails, the body portion of the bond' straddling the 4parting ofand disposed horizontally heneath and practically Hush with the under side or base of the rails, in -which position it will be self-supporting until its terminals are 'united thereto. After thus positioning the bond the upper iortion of the terminals thereof arev each united at and to the up- .per 'surface-portionbf the rail flange Aengaged' 'thereby,-` by brazi'ng, the brazing ma ,teriah here-.indicated by the numeral 6, spreading about and beneath the terminals andthoroughlyuniting the sanie- With the rails, forming a substantial and electrically perfect jointu 4 While the ebovefdescribed bond, with a simple form of bend. in its body portion, is

the preferred form, yet it is obvious that said body portion may be bent or formed in various Ways, among; which aretlie modiications illustrated in Fig. 6 where the body ortion is formed somewhat'like that ot' the etter S, the terminals 5 being each of hook form and engaging over. and unon the base bortions of the rails l and l', as heretoforeI -gdescribed in the preferred form, but at opfposite sides; inFig. 7 Where the body por ftion of the bond 5 is `formed somewhat like ,that ot the letter lill, the terminals 5' thereof 'being each of hook form and engaging the bese lportion of the rails 1 and 1', at the same side, and in Fig. 8 where the body portion of the bond 5 is formed like that of a loop, with its terminals 5 also of hook form fand engaging the base portion of the rails 1 the rails.

l and l', at the same side, said modifications being shown positioned ready for brazmg to The provision of the turned terminals with a bond having an' interme- 5 diate bent body portion are such as to enable them toA be applied rapidly to a number or all of the rall joints along the tracli,

where they will be self-sustaining until and during brazing to the rails, and the relative position of the body port1on of each bond l with respect to the rails, is such as to not only be sensitive to and readily yield to and in the direction of expansion yand contraction of the rails, but is alsosuch as to not interfere with` the ballasting', between. ties, as well as be protected from injury.

While l have shown but one form of rails and fish-plates therefor, a preferred form of or hooked License,

bond, and several form of bonds in addi tion thereto, relative to'the body portions thereof, it is to beunderstood the rails and fish-plates may be of other suitable forms than thatl sho'mnand that the body portion of the bond may also be of the same or other forms than that shown, and be Within the spirit of my invention, as set forth in 'the appended claims.`

What ll claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is;

lu An initially seltsupporting electric ,railfbond formed of one piece'of metal the extrenie end portions thereof, forming the connecting terminals, being,r each turned backvvardly in a plane above thebody portion and in the same direction.

2. An electric rail bond formed of one piece of metal having its body portion, from terminal to terminal, of substantially tl shape, the ends of the U forming the terminais being each turned over toward and vabove the body in hook form.

brazing, the body portion of said bond, ben tween its terminals, beine,l bent and disposed below the rails, the fish 'plate having a clearance space formed therein for the bond terminal.

ln testimony whereof, .ll ahx niy'signat ture, in presence of two witnesses.

HARRY n'rnnnrnon Witnesses:

LAURA E. HUneAnn, D. E. Pensons. 

